New-York tribune., 1887-12-04
DTTY or TIE LEADERS or CHRISTIAN rHOUGHT
! p o. W. WIN .L.-.L..an EclL...


some ot The able~t and best known Representative,
Of the great Christian denominations have been telling
the readers of The North American ReNicw' why
they remain believer, Ia their respective dcn0mn1-
ron.. The papers are interesting because they IN.
consciously show the Str.rgh aud the weakness ot
modern Christianity. Bur AT the same time this very
weakness has prov. Il ~ BE- ~ourc ot strength Mul'
tiiudcs of men and women who would never bc al
trlccd by tho offier principles Of pure Christianity,
ready 20 live by u. and even de for II, when Is
mVcd With something earthly and cast lnto tho v'ry
human mods OF drnominatonali-m. We cannot bear
10 look a. the white liyht from heaven. II blind,
and -tuus IL, accustomed a. we are 10 the hall
llIhnc~- Of human opinion and prejudice. And
we highly colorcd ecclesiastical glasses. which
give to everything around IL the dcnominational hna
which We love. Thus It Is that many Of ~ ~ TO our
graves without ever having canci the fainiest gmp@o
crrilon- The fact that Christianity has grown under
thr,c circumstances. aud Is to-day of The strongcs
the mo-t convincing piooi- Of II, divine claims.
Nevertheless. d"nom nationaiiSm has had il' day,
and the Of its dccadcnce has begun. In the past
II drew m'T into the Church and In the future IL viii
drive them ont Of the Church Indeed. II Is beginning
10 do 50 now The old sanctions Of cccleSia~ci-m aro
losing thrir force with thinking people. The Christian
denominaon, are I'm ~ta" of hux: religion. opinion
and belief are in condition Of chaos. out of which
nothing l. certain and cvery hing Is possible. Aud,
IN the case OF all chaotic movements. i this.
many strange and counter tendencies exist side by
side There j. the Icac'ipnary backward movement
toward medieval conception of dogma and ceremony
which + So pulling in this matrlia>ti, age. and
there Is on the other hand the movement away not
merely from all Neurrl crrctS and dogmlS. bur from
every vestlgc of organized Christianity This move
m'nt diNmr@ H-,l mp mo hn'nhrr OF smaller move
ments and we have "a result the new theology in
H. more oHhu'oN MANIFESTATIONS. lDfidl tlil~l'aNly
of all grades. free re slon. aguoSic-m and mf1civ.
Now what the leaders Of thr>tian Thought should do
I'm This crisis Is to provid temporary. though safe. IN
trllcctuai bridges over which travel from fho
Oh and wornou denominational conceptions ~ Chris
tanty to the and unknown conception Of il that
j. io DE The human Ina cannot rest upon ncgd'On-:
u must grasp something positive: cle II VIII sink
under IN" black waters Of p'Ssimism AMI die. And it
Is here that many Of the leaders OF the progressive
movement in theology haze erred They have not
Only torn down than necessary for their day
ard generation. hut they have torn down much mora
vigorously and effectively than they have built up.
They Should remember that although truth T. mighty.
and Will finally prevail. It's day Of triumph bs
huir.cd nor anticipated. The Church Of the future,
with - larger view Of truth. will come I'm tho future.
NOT TO-DAY What we OF the present hour need To 10
L. To wisely discern the signs of the times AMI hm
feasible modus vlvendl for tie traditional forms
Of denonin1tonali-n and the and better Chris
tlan cunsclou-ncsS Of the are.